Two Lives Becoming One
by CryoKing96
Summary: In which is chronicled the romantic life of Twilight Sparkle and Soarin' Skies, their marriage and life together.
1. Unexpected Love Ch 1

**Author's Note: This story is merely an edited version of a story of the same name on by manuccia. He gave me permission to clean up (and alter slightly) the chapters of his story. For clarification, this happens after Season 2 and assumes Season 3 never happened. **

Unexpected Love Ch. 1

Twilight Sparkle had her muzzle stuck, unsurprisingly, in a book. After absorbing whatever knowledge it contained, the lavender unicorn gently levitated it onto the desk in front of her. She traded it out for a red feather quill. Dipping the quill into her inkwell, she drew it up and began to write, speaking aloud as she did so to try and process her thoughts.

"Cloud...cloud formation begins with...no...begins when..." she groaned in frustration.

'_Why can't I finish this report already?' _she asked herself, '_And why would Princess Celestia even need a report on weather control?' _

Early last night, Twilight had received a request her teacher that give a report on Pegasi weather control. Since early that morning the strange request had plagued the thoughts of the studious unicorn. What was worse though, was that when she went to get some information on the subject, the library had very little literature on the topic.

As Twilight attempted to put down on parchment this section of her report, Spike, her number one assistant came down the stairs from their bedroom.

"Hey Twilight, when's that weather pony gonna get here?" he asked.

That morning when she'd found she needed more books on the subject of weather control, Twilight had sent a request to the Royal Archives for weather documents. Instead, the Princess had informed her that she would be sending a Pegasus from the Equestrian Weather Service.

Twilight looked up from her work, glancing at the clock.

"They should be here soon... I hope," she began straightening up her work area, "I guess I can take a break before they get here. If you're done with all your chores Spike, you can have the rest of the night off."

The little dragon smiled widely as he made his way to the door.

"Thanks Twi! I'll be at Rarity's if you need me,"

Twilight chuckled as she returned to organizing her notes.

'_Ok, this page is about the founding of the Weather Service, so it goes in history. Formation of clouds goes in theory and the Weather Service Training Guide goes with methodology...'_

***knock*knock* **

"I think that's him," Twilight said to herself as she trotted over to the door. '_I can finally finish this report!' _When she opened the door though, she was greeted not by a Pegasus, but a blue earth pony.

"Uh... Hello Noteworthy, can I help you with something?" she asked, confused as to why he would come by the library after hours.

"Hi Twilight. I was just thinking. You're a mare, I'm a stallion and I was wondering if you'd like to join me for dinner," the stallion said, puffing out his chest.

The expression on Twilight's face went deadpan.

"Did Rarity send you?" she questioned.

Noteworthy's confident smirk immediately disappeared & his puffed chest deflated. He looked nervously at his hooves for a moment before he answered.

"Yes," he admitted with a sigh.

"Ahh... Uh, no offense Noteworthy, I'm sure you're a nice colt, but I don't have time for dating and stallions. I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to turn you down." she explained.

"Oh...ok. Sorry for bothering you... I'll see you around," he mumbled, the disappointment evident on his face. He turned and walked dejectedly back towards town.

Closing the door, Twilight mused to herself as she returned once more to organizing her notes.

'_Why does Rarity keep trying to set me up with stallions? She knows I'm busy with my studies! And she's not the only one playing matchmaker. Applejack tried to get me with Big Mac and then her cousin Braeburn. The fate of Equestria doesn't depend on me finding a coltfriend. I need to finish my studies on the magic of friendship and this darn weather report. It's not that I never want to settle down with a nice colt, it's just not a priority right now. There's just so much to study and so little time... Maybe I'll start dating in a few years,' _she finally decided.

***knock*knock* **

"Urgh, this better not be another stallion trying to ask me out," she muttered to herself as she strode towards her front door. She opened the door and without looking at who she was addressing she said,"Listen, tell Rarity to stop sending..."

"Ahem,"

Twilight looked up and found herself face to face with a light blue pegasus stallion with a swept-back navy blue mane. He wore the trademark Wonderbolt flight suit.

"Ms. Sparkle, correct?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm Twilight Sparkle. Is there something I can do for you?" she asked, her head cocked in confusion.

"My name is Soarin' and I'm..."

Twilight's jaw dropped."Wait, wait, wait,... Soarin'...as in Soarin' Skies the Wonderbolt?" she interrupted.

"Yes, that's me," he chuckled, "I received a letter from Princess Celestia, stating that I was to assist her student with some research,"

"Well, I'm researching weather control, not stunt flying. So I don't see how you can help me Mr. Skies," she replied. '_Why would Princess Celestia send me a Wonderbolt to help me on my report, unless...' _"Is this a prank? Did the Princess put you up to this? Because if so..."

"Ma'am, I'm not just a stunt flyer. I'm also Chief Weather Officer of the Wonderbolts, and I hold the rank of Supervisory Weather Patroller with the Equestrian Weather Service," Soarin' explained patiently,"So, I have plenty of experience with weather."

Twilight felt embarrassed for being so presumptuous about the job of a pony she'd just met.

"Sorry... I didn't know," she said, chuckling nervously,"Would you like to come in?"

Soarin' accepted and Twilght welcomed him in. As they made their way slowly over to the desk where her notes lay, Twilight spoke up again,"Also, just call me Twilight."

"Alright then Twilight, let's get started, shall we?" Soarin' offered happily.

The two ponies began their work. Twilight, determined to learn everything she possibly could from Soarin', asked him to cover everything he knew about weather & weather control. They started with the intricate process of turning an ordinary rain cloud into a thunderhead.

"...and that's how it's done." Soarin' finished explaining.

"Wow, I had no idea! I always assumed that forming and controlling the weather was fairly simple. I never knew that even just a little change in the whole process could affect the type of cloud produced so drastically."

Soarin' chuckled and flashed Twilight a smile.

"It's no big deal, most non-pegasi have no clue what really goes into making the weather,"

The two continued to discuss the many facets of weather making, and after a few hours of picking Soarin's brain, Twilight decided she'd gathered enough information for her report. Soarin' could tell she was done when she no longer took notes on what he was saying. He figured that was his cue to go.

"Alright, I think that's everything, Ms. Sparkle," he said. As he rose to his hooves, the unmistakeable sound of a stomach begging to be filled, emanated from his midsection. Grinning sheepishly, he said,"Guess I'll have to grab a bite to eat back in Cloudsdale."

"You can stay for dinner if you like," Twilight offered,"And I told you, you can call me Twilight."

"Are you sure Twilight? I wouldn't want to impose," the pegasus said unsurely.

"You're not imposing, I offered. Spike's not here, so it'd be nice to have some company while I eat. I wasn't planning on having anything much anyway, just some daisy sandwiches." Inwardly, Twilight was praying to Faust that he'd stay. She didn't particularly care to eat alone, even though she was fairly used to it. With Spike not here, she hoped Soarin' would eat with her. After a moment's deliberation, he gave her an answer.

"That sounds nice, Twilight. I think I'll accept," then a puzzled look crossed his face,"Hey, who's Spike?"

"Oh, he's a baby dragon and my number one assistant," she replied,"Now, I'll go get those sandwiches ready. Go ahead and have a seat, I'll be back in a minute." She pointed a hoof, indicating a reading table with pair of comfy looking wingback chairs.

She trotted off into the kitchen, and Soarin' made his way over to one of the chairs. As he waited for Twilight, he thought to himself,'_She seems like a nice mare, and pretty smart too. It's amazing how fast she picked up that stuff. Took me a full year to master just half of what we covered, she was mastering the same material inside of four hours.' _he shrugged to himself, '_Guess she's the Princess's student for a reason.' _

A few minutes later, Twilight returned from the kitchen, levitating a tray loaded with a plate of daisy sandwiches and two flagards of chilled Sweet Apple Acres cider.

"Here we are," she said happily, placing the tray on the table and hopping into her chair.

The pair of ponies sat and enjoyed their simple dinner. The two soon struck up conversation. Twilight told Soarin' of her time as Princess Celestia's student, and her various adventures in and around Ponyville. She recounted all her adventures from defeating Nightmare Moon & Discord, to the time she'd caused a time loop(Though she did omit the events regarding a certain doll). As Twilight regaled him with many of her adventures, Soarin' thought to himself,

'_Wow. She's certainly done a lot. I mean I knew she was an Element of Harmony, and I guess I shouldn't expect any less from a student of Princess Celestia, but still... I can't help but feel overshadowed by her credentials. Sure I'm a Wonderbolt, and half Equestria knows my name; she's saved all of Equestria 3 seperate times with her friends. Plus, apparently had more adventures & misadventures than I can keep track of.' _

Even so, Soarin' told her about his adventures with the Wonderbolts, but, all but a few seemed mundane compared to Twilight's. As it turned out, the stories that sounded less mundane, were actually so because her friends had been involved.

"Wait... You mean that dragon we tried to stop a few months back was **your assistant!**" Soarin' exclaimed incredulously.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Like I said he was being fueled by greed," Twilight answered sheepishly. Then a thought occurred to her,"He didn't hurt you did he?"

"Aside from a few bruises and my pride, no I wasn't hurt. Anyway, so the mare who saved my, Spitfire's and Misty's flanks and did the Sonic Rainboom was your friend Rainbow Dash, Element of Loyalty?"

"Uh-huh. And it was my friend Rarity who knocked you all out. Again, sorry about that."

"Rarity... Isn't she the unicorn dressmaker Fancy Pants is always going on about? How did she get into a flight competition anyway?" then he remembered the earlier part of the story,"Oh right, sorry."

"You know Fancy Pants?"

"Yes, he's an avid fan of our Derbies. He sometimes invites us to private parties as guests," Soarin's eyes glazed over and he smiled as he remembered one such party,"Fine stallion that unicorn."

The conversation continued, and worked its way around to family. Soarin' was struck by how close Twilight was with her parents and big brother Shining Armor. He was, at first, surprised to find out Twilight was related to Prince Shining Armor, but he shrugged it off.

'_Would you expect any less from the brother of Celestia's student?' _he asked himself, after hearing the whole story of the near disastrous Canterlot Wedding. He'd seen the changeling invasion, faced a few himself, but he'd only heard rumors of what had led up to the invasion. To hear an eyewitness account, from the sister of the groom no less, was quite interesting.

Not desiring to talk about, or even remember his birth parents, Soarin' instead told his hostess about his closeness to the Captain of the Wonderbolts, Spitfire. As he continued to converse with the lavender unicorn in front of him, Soarin' found himself feeling odd.

Half of him felt really comfortable around Twilight, evidenced by the fact he was more open with her than he'd been with anypony, save Spitfire and his adopted mother. The other half of him was extremely nervous, fretting that he would say something wrong. Even having been in a few romantic relationships before, he was confused about his feelings.

'_Why am I feeling like this? I only just met her today.' _

Unbeknownst to the pegasus stallion, Twilight was similarly nervous and confused. He didn't notice, but sweat beaded on her forehead & her front legs were quivering slightly.

'_Why am I feeling like this?' _she groaned internally,'_I feel kind of like I did with the want-it need-it ordeal or the future me incident. Is Soarin' the cause of my nervousness?' _she asked herself. Analyzing her feelings as best she could, Twilight realized that despite her nervousness, she wanted him to stay. She was quite enjoying his company. Twilight struggled to explain what she was feeling, until the craziest of thoughts popped into her head.

'_Could I 'like' Soarin'?' _she questioned,'_He is quite the gentlecolt and not to mention handsome, but could I really be attracted to him? I just met him today.' _Her thoughts took a turn towards her Panic Mode. Before they could run away with her, she decided to excuse herself so she could calm down.

"Uh, Soarin'. I need to use the little filly's room." she lied.

"Ok. I'll be here when you get back."

Twilight beelined for the stairs on the back wall of the library. Her heart racing as she hurried up the steps. Waiting for her to return, Soarin' had time to process his thoughts and feelings.

'_Why do I feel this way? Why is talking to Twilight making me so nervous?' _he pondered,'_I'm not sure why, but I can't help but feel I really like her.' _

Desiring to spend more time with Twilight, he tried to think of some sort of event he could take her to. He remembered the big gala coming up in Canterlot.

'_Of course! Next week is the first ever Winter Solstice celebration. I can ask her if she'll go with me!' _

Confident in his plan, Soarin' took a swig of cider and waited for Twilight to return. And waited. And waited.

'_It's been ten minutes now, where is she?' _

Soarin' was feeling a little concerned, a pony usually didn't take that long in the lavatory. He decided to check on Twilight. Trotting up the steps, he heard what sounded like...crying? He stared at the door from which the sobbing issued.

'_I really shouldn't eavesdrop, but I want to make sure Twilight is okay.' _

The door was ever so slightly ajar. Soarin' peered through the opening, and his heart melted at the sight.

Twilight was laying on her bed, sobbing, using her alone time to let her tears out. Her feelings for Soarin' confused her, and confusion didn't mix well with a unicorn who had a logical, ready answer for almost every situation.

"Why am I feeling like this?" she mournfully asked her pillow,"I just met Soarin', but I think I like him. I really do, but I can't like him. It doesn't make any sense, but my heart keeps telling me that I do like him." Twilight sighed,"Even if he wasn't with Spitfire, he wouldn't want to date somepony like me. He's famous and I'm just a nopony."

That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Soarin' pushed open the door and entered the room.

"That's not true Twilight," he said in a gentle voice, so as not to scare her too much. Twilight jumped at the sound of his voice and wheeled around. The look on her face said she was startled, and ashamed to let him see her like this.

"Soarin'... What are you doing up here?" the tone in her voice again indicating her surprise and shame.

"You're not a nopony, Twilight," he answered, trotting over to the startled mare.

"What are you talking about? You're a Wonderbolt, and I...am just a boring librarian," Twilight sighed and hung her head.

Soarin' put a hoof on her chin, gently turning her head so they were face to face.

"Hey, you are more than just a boring librarian. You are important. You're Princess Celestia's personal student and the Element of Magic. If anything, I'm the one who's not worthy of you." he said kindly.

Twilight stared at him in confusion. He noticed and elaborated.

"I mean, you've saved Equestria 3 times. You're good friends with both friends with both Princesses, one of whom you saved from her darker self. You're the most powerful magic wielder alive and the smartest pony I've ever met. Me, I'm just dumb old Soarin',"

"What do you mean Soarin'? You're not stupid,"

The two ponies sat in a calm silent, before Soarin' finally mustered the courage to break it.

"So is it true... That you think you like me?"

"Yeah, but it doesn't matter. Aren't you with Spitfire?"

Soarin' chuckled for a moment.

"No, I'm not with Spitfire. When I said we were close I didn't mean it like that. She's like a sister to me. And besides, even if she wasn't, the 'Bolts have a policy about not dating teammates." he paused for a few seconds,"Honestly, I think I like you too."

Twilight blushed, not only because Soarin' had admitted he was attracted to her, but because she felt embarrassed for assuming Soarin' was dating Spitfire. Now that she thought about it, he'd only mentioned it after she'd told him about how close to her B.B.B.F.F. she was.

"So, Twilight...since we both kind of like each other, would like to go to the Winter Solstice gala with me? Then we can see what happens from there,"

"That sounds nice," Twilight replied, a blush spreading across her face,"So does this make you my coltfriend?"

"I guess so," he smirked,"Hey, I have time off tomorrow, would like to get some lunch with me? It'll be our first official date,"

"Tomorrow I was going out to lunch with my friends, but I'm suede they'd love to meet you."

"That works for me! I'll be here around 11:30. Now, I'd better get going before the rest of the 'Bolts start worrying about me,"

Like a good hostess and marefriend, Twilight thanked her guest for coming and staying for dinner. She blushed like crazy when Soarin' gave her a light kiss on the cheek before he headed up into the sky back towards Cloudsdale. She watched her new coltfriend until she could no longer see him. Then she went back inside the library , prancing about like Pinkie Pie, saying over and over,

"I have a coltfriend! I have a coltfriend!"

She knew she had told herself she wasn't going anytime soon, but something was different about Soarin'.

'_He's not like some of the colts that have asked me out. He's a real gentlecolt and handsome too,' _she mused,'_I can't wait for tomorrow!' _

That night, Twilight's dreams were filled with thoughts of the Pegasus stallion who was winning her heart.

x-x

That same evening, Princess Cadence and Princess Luna sat together on one of the Canterlot Castle's many balconies. Luna was rearranging some of her stars that had somehow gotten out of place, while Cadence marveled at her aunt's night sky. Laying on the marble floor between their hooves were a couple of scrolls that bore the royal seal of Celestia. The Princess of the Sun was not long in joining the pair of alicorns.

"Well that was quite strange," she remarked, more to herself than anypony, though it didn't stop her sister and niece from hearing her.

"What is 'quite strange' sister?" asked Luna, who remained focused on realigning her stars.

"Twilight Sparkle just sent me a report on weather control & a letter thanking me for sending Soarin' the Wonderbolt to help her in her research," answered Celestia.

"How is that strange auntie? You and I both know what a studious mare she is," Cadence replied, her voice betraying a hint of nervousness, which Celestia was quick to notice.

"I agree with you, my niece, but I don't remember requesting a report on weather control from her. Nor do I remember sending Soarin' to help her," said the solar princess, "She also mentioned something about having a date with him to the solstice celebration. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?"

A raised eyebrow from the white alicorn was all it took to get Cadence to spill the beans.

"Well... I-I can explain..." stammered the Princess of Love. Celestia just chuckled.

"No need to worry, my dear niece. Next time you or my sister want to borrow some of my seals, you can just ask," the solar diarch said nonchalantly, "Oh, and tomorrow, you need to tell me about the spell you used on the scroll you sent my student. Well, goodnight you two."

Princess Celestia headed back into the castle, leaving behind two dumbstruck alicorns. They had no idea how she had found out about their plan,(*cough*Philomena*cough*) but at least it was successful it seemed. Suddenly, Celestia's head popped around the corner of the balcony doorway.

"Oh, Cadence," she said, her voice bringing the mare out of her state of surprise.

"Yes, Aunt 'Tia?"

"Congratulations,"

"Thank you,"


	2. Unexpected Love Ch 2

Unexpected Love Ch. 2

**Author's Note: This story is merely an edited version of a story of the same name on Fimfiction by manuccia. He gave me permission to clean up (and alter slightly) the chapters of his story. For clarification, all chapters up to the epilogue of Unexpected Love happen between Seasons 2 & 3. **

The next morning in Cloudsdale found Soarin' in the Wonderbolts mess hall preparing to dig into his breakfast. Before him it sat, a deliciously fresh apple pie. Steam rose from the slits in it's golden, flaky crust, filling the nostrils of the pale blue Pegasus with the enticing smell of cinnamon and apples. The warmth radiating from the pastry did little to knock the chill out of the fall air, but it did widen the smile of the winged devourer looming over it.

Soarin' was happier than usual this morning because of the events of last night. He'd met a wonderful Unicorn mare who'd agreed to be his marefriend. Today he would be joining her and her friends for lunch as their first official date. While he began to scarf down his sugary breakfast, he let his thoughts of Twilight meander.

'_I can't believe I finally have a marefriend. I just met her yesterday, and by the end of the evening we're dating. It's amazing how fast things went with me and Twilight. I just hope I'm not messing things up. I don't want to lose Twilight by rushing things. I should probably ask her if we can slow things down when I see her today._'

"Morning Soarin'" a groggy voice greeted. Stirred from his relational contemplation, the stallion turned to see a bleary-eyed Spitfire. She slid into the seat next to him, steaming mug of coffee in her hoof. When she noticedher friend and squadmate's choice of breakfast she smirked."I know you love pie Soarin', but for breakfast? Really?"

"And why not?" he asked with mock indignation," You know what they say: An apple pie a day keeps the doctor away."

"I'm pretty sure you're adding a word there," Spitfire giggled, before her smile turned sly,"So Soarin', why don't you tell me about Twilight."

Soarin', caught off guard by Spitfire's knowledge of that name, hacked and spluttered on a bite of pie. "You-I-bu-how?" he stammered,"Where'd you hear that name?'

"From you, ya goof. You forgot to close your door last night and I could hear you sleep-talking. you weren't that quiet either. The whole hall probably heard you."

"Great," sighed the stallion,"I'm never gonna heqar the end of this."

"Ah, don't worry about it," Spitfire said, waving a hoof dismissively,"So anyway, who is this Twilight?"

"She's Princess Celestia's personal protege, a friend of Rainbow Dash's... and she's my marefriend as of last night."

"You mean you're dating _the Twilight Sparkle,_ Element of Magic of the Elements of Harmony and three time savior of Equestria?'

Soarin' nodded and Spitfire gave a low whistle. "Yep, got to know her last night after I helped her with a report on the Equestrian Weather Service. It's amazing how smart she is, took her just minutes to understand even the more advanced topics. She's really friendly and modest too, despite how much power she wields, both physical and poltical." Even as he spoke pleasant images of Twilight flooded Soarin's min's eye. A playful prod in the chest from Spitfire broke him from his warm and fuzzy thoughts.

"Hey, hey, don't go all misty-eyed on me you hopeless romantic," the mare chuckled,"I gotta know when I can meet Ms. Sparkle."

"I'm going to have lunch with her today and meet the other Elements of Harmony. You're welcome to join me if you want. Ms. Rainbow Dash would certainly be thrilled to see you." _'As if finding out I'm dating her friend wouldn't be enough to send her in fangasms.'_

"No can do I'm afraid," Spitfire sighed,"As much fun as that'd be, I've got a small mountain of paperwork to finsh. Have to finalize the Winter show season roster and deal with some last minute details concerning the Winter Solstice Gala."

"Ouch, sorry about that," Soarin' winced sympathetically,"I feel for ya though, CWO paperwork can be a real dragon sometimes. If you're not gonna be able to join me today, then the next timeyou would be able to meet her would be... the Solstice Gala. i invited her to that as my date, seeing as how I won't be in the show."

"That should work. But really Soarin'? You just started dating her last night and you're already taking her to a big event? I know you're a speedster, but do you have to go from bachelor to husband in ten seconds flat?"

Soarin' spluttered on another bite of pie."Hu-husband? Spits, it's way to soon for that, even for me. Things did go a little fast last night, but I was planning on asking Twilight if we could take things slower from today on."

"Relax Soarin', I was just blowing your cloud around. Now, I gotta go get an that paperwork, but I wanna hear all about your date when you get back." With a single beat of her fiery golden wings, Spitfire took to the air. Heading for the dors, she called over her shoulder,"See ya later Soarin'!"

"Later Spits. See you tonight," he replied.

Once Spitfire had disappeared through the doors, Soarin' glanced up at nearest clock. _'Still a little early, but I could go ahead and make for Ponyville. Means I get to spend more time with Twilight.' _

Soarin' tossed his empty pie tin in the trash before heading out into Cloudsdale. He made good time to the city's edge, Wonderbolts being a common enough sight in the floating town that they weren't mobbed by fans very often. On the southern outskirts of the cloud city he looked off into the distance, just barely spotting the vague outline of Ponyville. His destination in sight, he took wing and sped off towards the small town. He couldn't wait meet Twilight's friends properly. Last night he discovered that he'd already unknowingly interacted with a few and now he wanted to actually get to know them._'I just hope they're okay with me dating their friend.' _

* * *

><p>Spike rose from his basket, blearily blinking the sleep from his eyes. He glanced over at the clock and started in alarm, he was up way later than he should've been. Shifting his gaze to the right, he saw that Twilight had already risen. It was then that his sharp draconic hearing caught the sound of clattering dishes from downstairs. As he made his way down to the kitchen, where he assumed the noise was originating, the smell of maple syrup and frying hay-bacon greeted him. Spike stepped into the kitchen to find his adoptive big sister happily humming to herself as she prepared breakfast. She had a smile on her face that rivaled even Pinkie Pie's and she seemed blissfully lost in her own little world, as she failed to notice her number one assistant.<p>

After the initial suprise of the scene wore off, Spike found himself thinking,_'Ok, what's going on? I don't think I seen Twi' like this in... ever.' _Mentally relagating it one of Twilight's occasionally scheduled 'no schedule days', he opted to hop into his usual seat at the breakfast table and just go with it.

"Good morning Twilight," he called,"Whatcha got cookin'?" The question snapped Twilight out of her daydream about a certain pie-loving Wonderbolt.

"Wha-? Oh, good morning Spike," she greeted,"I made your favorite, ruby pancakes with hay-bacon and glass of cold apple cider." With a flourish of magic she set a loaded plate and full glass before the little drake. She turned back to the stove to fix some ruby-free pancakes for herself, her thoughts returning to her newfound special somepony .

_'I can't wait to see Soarin' again,'_ she thought giddily,_'I know we only met last night, but it feels like I've known him for years.' _

Behind her, Spike watched Twilight curiously. His gaze flickered between the unusually cheerful Twilight and his steaming stack of heart-shaped flapjacks.

_'What's got Twilight so happy?' _Spike wondered,_'And why are these pancakes heart-shaped?... Scratch that, why'd she make pancakes at all? She usually just has a bowl of oats and milk or goes over to Sugarcube Corner if I don't make breakfast.' _Inquisitiveness got the better of Spike, he just had to know what was going on. He went to check out Twilight's 'list of things to complete by the end of the day', when he remembered that he had assumed this was one of Twilight's scheduled 'no schedule' days. Finally he asked,"Hey Twilight, is today a no schedule day?"

"Huh? Oh no, today's not a no schedule day,"

"Then where's today's to-do list?"

"It's right over there," Twilight said, guesturing vaguely with her right hoof,"But you don't need to worry about it. I've already finished it."

Spike only just managed to keep from spraying his swig of cider._'Okay, something's **definitely** going on. She never finishes a Saturday to-do list this early.'_

Eyes gazing about the area Twilight had indicated a moment ago, Spike spotted the scroll that was the key to this mystery. Double-checking that Twilight was still focused on preparing her pancakes, Spike stealthily retrieved the scroll. As he unrolled the parchment, a bite of hay-bacon found its way to his mouth. Scanning the list, his eyes went wide when he noticed a particular name several times over and his brain quickly came to a shocking conclusion. He sputtered for moment before loudly exclaiming,"Since when has Soarin' the Wonderbolt been your coltfriend!?"

Twilight nearly lost control of the pancake she was levitating mid-flip over the pan. It landed back with squelch.

"Wha- How did- I don't have a..." the lavender mare spluttered. Her mind raced, how had he found out about Soarin' and her? "How did you find out about that!?"

Spike just gave the frantic mare a 'look'. "Twi', when you have the name of a national celebrity on every other line of a to-do list I think it's a pretty clear indicator that they're your special somepony," he snorted,"Makes everything else make sense too."

Twilight smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head with a hoof. "Heheh... You saw that huh?" she sighed and hung her head,"Yes, I am dating Soarin'. You're not mad are you?"

Spike looked genuinely confused."Mad? Why would I be mad? You have a coltfriend! That's a great thing!"

Twilight sighed happily,"Thank you, Spike. You have know idea how relieved that makes me feel." Her ear twitched as something Spike had said a moment ago flashed to the front of her mind,"Now, what was that about 'everything else makes sense'?"

"The humming, the Pinkie rivaling smile, the heart-shaped pancakes..." Spike enumerated,"Just how long have you been dating Soarin' anyway?"

"Only since last night," Twilight admitted,"He was the weatherpony Princess Celestia sent me. I invited him to stay for dinner and we got to know one another."

Spike raised an eyeridge,"Since last night? Don't you think that's taking things a little fast? I mean, you meet the guy yesterday afternoon and by the end of the same evening you two are dating?"

"Excuse me, Mr. Casaneighva but last time I checked you've been ready to propose to Rarity from the second you met her," Even as she admonished the baby dragon, Twilight's cheeks reddened.

"Fine, fine," mumbled an embarrassed Spike between mouthfuls of pancake.

Picking at her own breakfast, Twilight dwelt on what her assistant had suggested. _'Am I going to fast with Soarin'? Yesterday was the first time I've had a conversation with him. And now that I think about it, things did happen pretty quickly. Maybe I do need to ask Soarin' if we can slow things down. We did essentially just cram a month of dating into a single evening.' _For a few moments Twilight quietly pondered if a relationship started the Soarin's and hers had was natural. Calling on her sharp memory, the Unicorn inventoried what the bits of relationship advice she'd read here and there said._'Well, I do remember reading that while it's generally a good idea to take a relationship slowly, it's more important that the pace feels natural and right. It certainly felt right, like we were a pair of old friends catching up rather than two ponies meeting for the first time. So no, I don't think we were going to fast, but I am going ask Soarin' if we can slow things down from today on.' _

Her mind made up, Twilight began earnestly devouring her breakfast. The mare savored every bite of her own cooking. It wasn't often that she could prepare anything this excellent. _'Guess the good mood thoughts of Soarin' induced made me a better cook. I'll have to test that some time.' _

The rest of the meal passed in silence as the purple duo devoured the contents of their plates. The last of the food had just disappeared when they heard a knock on the door.

"I've got it Twi'" Spike called, scurrying to greet their unexpected caller.

While she put the dishes in the sink, Twilight kept an ear out for what was going on in the main library. She instantly recognized the voice of her guest as belonging to Rarity.

"Thank you my dear Spikey-Wikey. Now, may I know where Twilight is?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, she's in the kitchen,"

Twilight heard the distinct sound of hooves on hardwood before Rarity actually entered the kitchen.

"Good morning Twilight," the alabaster coated Unicorn greeted gracefully.

"Mornng to you too Rarity. What brings you by?"

"Well I'm in need of some inspiration so I came by to see if you had any new books on fashion history,"

Twilight 'hmm'd' thoghtfully for a moment."The inventory for my latest shipment did include the most recent edition of the Fashion through the Ages series. Come on, let's go get it real quick. It's in the back room with the rest of the unsorted books."

"Alright darling... Oh, and while we're searching why don't you tell me about your evening,"

* * *

><p>Soarin' flew over Ponyville as stealthily as he could. Normally he enjoyed meeting fans, but right now he' rather not get swamped by adoring fans and the paparazzi that inevitably followed. His green eyes scanned the predominately Earth-Pony town in search of a particular building. He smiled when he finally spotted what he was looking for.<p>

The stallion landed as quietly as he could. He rapped on the library's door and ran a hoof through his mane._'Alright, mane, check. Lesse, breath...'_ Soarin' took a quick sniff of his breath. _'Okay good, my breath doesn't smell.' _Only moments later the door was opened by a purple and green dragonling. Spike's eyes went wide at the sight of the celebrity standing on the doorstep.

"H-hey, you must be Soarin', right?" Spike managed to say after a moment of gawking.

Soarin' chuckled. "Yep, that's me. I'm here to see Twilight, if you don't mind,"

"Not at all. Come on in, I'll go let Twilight know you're here," Spike replied as he welcomed the stallion in,"I'm Spike, by the way."

"Nice to meet you Spike,"

Soarin' watched as the baby dragon scurried off to inform Twilight of her coltfriend's arrival. As he waited, Soarin' thought he heard a pair of voices conversing. One of the voices he recognized as Twilight's, but he couldn't tell who the other speaker was, though she sounded vaguely familiar. _'Wonder what they're talking about,'_ he pondered while moving towards the source of the voices. _'Wait , what am I doing? I know better than to eavesdrop.'_ he mentally berated himself. As he turned to walk away, some of the conversation caught his ear.

"I didn't know that," he heard Twilight say.

"Oh yes darling, it's certainly the fastest way for a respectable Unicorn of noble heritage, such as yourself, to ruin their reputation," the other mare said, "Promise me that you won't do such a thing."

"Of course not Rarity..."

Soarin' froze in place as his mind raced franticly. _'No, that can't be it, can it?'_ He'd lived in Canterlot before he had moved to Cloudsdale and was well aware of how Canterlot's nobles looked down disapprovingly on Pegasus Unicorn relationships. _'Surely that's not it. Twilight isn't embarrassed to date me is she?' _Soarin' felt tears forming on the edges of his vision. He hoped to Faust that he was only being paranoid.

"... I would never date somepony like that." he heard Twilight finish.

Soarin' could feel his heart shatter like glass. _'I've gotta get out of here... can't let her see me." _he tought as he exited the library with all haste. The Pegasus celebrity took to the air, speeding over the busy town, tears trickling down his cheeks. He sought out a secluded spot, desperate for somewhere to deal with the heartbreak. _'Guess my parents were right. Iam just an embarrassment.' _

* * *

><p>"Thank you again for the book darling," said Rarity as the pair made for main library.<p>

"No problem Rarity. Anything for a friend," Twilight said, swinging the storage room door open,"I can't wait for you to meet Soarin'. He's... not here."

The two Unicorns regarded the library with mild surprise. There wasn't a pony in sight.

"Spike!" Twilight called,"Didn't you say Soarin' was here?"

Yeah Twi', he's waiting for you in the library,"

"Well he's not here now,"

"What?" Spike's head popped out from storage room doorway,"Huh, you're right. That's weird, I coulda sworn I let him in."

"Don't worry about it you two," said Rarity,"I can't wait to meet him though. He certainly is quite handsome."

"He is, and he's a real gentlecolt too," A blush formed on Twilight's face as she thought of the Pegasus stallion.

"Alright then, Twilight. I must get back to the Boutique, I'll see you and your new beau at lunch. Ta-ta." With that Rarity was off, heading home until later.

"Bye Rarity," Twilight called to the departing fashionista. The lavender Unicorn turned back to her beloved library, once again noting the absence of her coltfriend. For a moment she worried something might've happened to him but she brushed it off. _'He probably just got delayed with some Wonderbolts stuff. I'll ask him when he shows up.' _she thought. With that, Twilight headed upstairs to prepare for her day.


	3. Unexpected Love Ch 3

Soarin' stared forlornly at the stream that burbled merrily on its way under the stone hoof-bridge, uncaring of his pain. The stallion rested on his haunches, sniffling quietly. Even as he lamented his loss, he was silently thankful that nopony had noticed him or who he was. Over and over his mind replayed the conversation he had overheard.

'_Is Twilight really embarrassed to be dating me because I'm a Pegasus? I didn't think she'd care about that.' _Soarin' knew that Twilight was from a now powerful noble family in Canterlot, and he was all too well aware of the less than subtle prejudice that much of Canterlot's Unicorn nobility and elite had against relationships between Pegasi and Unicorns. It seemed Twilight was concerned about what would happen to her social standing if word of their relationship got out.

It was a deep blow that the first mare he'd ever had real romantic feelings for was embarrassed that he had wings on his back rather than a horn on his head. The heartbreak that thought brought with it was excuciating, almost to much for the stunt-Pegasus to bear. The fact that deep down, his heart still longed to be the studious, lavender Unicorn only made matters worse.

_'Guess I'll just head back to Cloudsdale. I'll get over Twilight... eventually.' _Soarin' turned northward to take flight and caught sight of the last pony he wanted to see. To his rapidly increasing mortification, the bright yellow mare was flying towards him, her iconic fiery orange and yellow mane rustling from her speed.

For a few moments, Soarin' forgot about the pain of his heartbreak in favor of having a mental freakout. '_Nononononono! She can't be here! What's she doing here? If she finds out what's going on, she'll blow her top and try to hurt Twilight! Oh, this is bad, she'll overreact and explode and- Oh Faust she's here!' _Soarin' desperately wanted to disappear so his captain wouldn't live up to her name. This was one of the times that Spitfire's temperment made it unwise to confide in her, even if she was his best friend.

"Spits,... What're you doing here?" the Pegasus stallion asked as nonchalantly as he could, which is to say not at all."I thought you had all that paperwork."

"I might have exaggerated about how much work I had just alittle," she admitted,"But anyway, since I'm here I suppose I could come meet Miss Sparkle when you..." Spitfire fell silent as she looked over at Soarin'. His puffy, bloodshot eyes and the matted fur of his cheeks both told the Pegasus mare that her friend was in pain of type emotion. Instantly she was beside the stallion, offering support."Soarin' what's wrong? Does this have to do with Twilight?"

Soarin' sniffled, tears beading anew in his eyes. "My parents were right," he mumbled.

"What did you just say?"'_Did I just hear what I thought I heard?_' Soarin' avoided her gaze, only compounding suspicion in Spitfire's mind.

"My parents were right about me. I could never really be loved by anypony because I'm just a stupid, worthless waste of space." The words were just as clear and sharp in Soarin's mind as the first time they'd been said.

Spitfire was shocked that her friend- no, _brother_ could still believe that. With a firm but gentle hoof, she turned his head so that he was to forced to look her in the eye. His emerald green orbs radiated shame and pain.

"Don't you ever say that again Soarin'. Those two pathetic excuses for ponies aren't worth listening to. You're not stupid Soarin', you graduated near the top of your Weather Acadamy class and we both know you have an excellent memory. You're not worthless either, you inspire countless fillies and colts every time you do a show. and i've always told you that any mare, and I mean _any_ mare would be lucky to be with you. Now tell me, what's wrong?"

"I think Twilight might be embarrassed to admit she's dating me," Soarin' confessd.

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," Spitfire scoffed,"Why in the world would she be embarrassed to admit she dating Soarin' Skies, the acclaimed Wonderbolt?"

"Because of these," Soarin' fluttered his wings. Spitfire gave an 'oh' of understanding, which was followed by a look of anger so intense Soarin' could have sworn he saw the mare's mane smouldering.

"So she's one of those," said mare growled, "Where does she live? I need to give Miss Sparkle a piece of my mind, followed a healthy dose of hoof-sandwhich."

"No, please don't hurt her Spits," Soarin' pleaded,"I still care about her."

"Oh Soarin'," Spitfire sighed,"I can see how much Twilight Sparkle means to you, but if she won't accept you for who you are, then she doesn't deserve you." Soarin' started to protest when Spitfire shushed him with a hoof."You're an amazing stallion Soarin', and I don't want to see my best friend getting hurt like this. If you really want to keep dating Miss Twilight, we can go talk to her and try to fix this. How does that sound?"

Soarin' wiped the tears from his eyes as he rose to hooves."That sounds good," he said softly. "Twilight lives in the local library," he added, gesturing to the glimpse of green that could be seen above the rooftops of the town. The two Pegasi shared a nod and took flight, the Golden Oaks Library their destination.

* * *

><p>Twilight glanced at the clock for the umpteenth time since her friends had arrived. Around her, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash all incessently questioned Rarity and Spike about who their special guest was. Twilight heard none of their converation as she fretted internally.<p>

'_Oh, where is he? I know I heard him say he'd be here at 11:30, but that was fifteen minutes ago! Did something come up? I hope it's not some horrible weather catastrophe. Oh, but what if it is?_' Twilight's mind began concotting unpleasant scenarios, as it always did when she panicked about something. The Unicorn was able to keep her thoughts from straying to far though.'_Easy Twilight, calm down. I'm sure everything's just fine. There's no reason to panic._' Sufficently calmed, Twilight refocused on her friends, only to realize that Rainbow Dash had spoken to her.

"What was that Rainbow?" she asked.

"When's your special guest gonna get here Twi? I'm hungry," the Pegasus mare whined.

Twilight glanced at the clock once more."They should be here soon... I hope," That pacified Rainbow for the moment and she, along with Applejack and Fluttershy resumed questioning their Unicorn and dragon friends about the identity of Twilight's mystery guest. Pinkie meanwhile, had gone from interrogating to fantasizing about the party she'd throw for Twilight's, and by extension her, new friend after lunch.

"Oh my gosh, are you girls excited, because I am so totally excited, Twilight has a new friend which means I have a new friend, and that means... a party! And I love getting new friends and having parties. Ooh, and having new friend parties..."

"Yes darling," Rarity interrupted before Pinkie could get to far gone,"I must admit I'm postively giddy to meet Twilight's special guest."'_And once you find out our dear little Twilight has a coltfriend and just who he is, I do believe you'll explode in exuberance... twice._' the mare added to herself.

"Um, Twilight?" Fluttershy murmured,"Can you please tell us something about who's coming over? If you don't mind that is,"

Twilight smiled warmly at the demure Pegasus."Of course Fluttershy. I don't want to give to much away, but I can say that he's a stallion and somepony special to me," The faintest of blushes tinted Twilight's lavender cheeks at the thought of Soarin'.

Unfortunately for the scholarly Unicorn, both Applejack and Fluttershy noticed the change in color and drew the same conclusion.

"You have a coltfriend, sugarcube?!" Applejack nearly yelped in suprise. The outburst caused Dash to flub a wingbeat and drop to the floor. Fluttershy 'eeped' and instinctively ducked under the table. Pinkie was already debating the implications this have on her party to herself. The two Pegasi recovered from their surprise, and joined Applejack in chanting, "Who is it? Who is it!"

"Girls!** GIRLS!**" Twilight shouted,"You'll find out who it is when he gets here."

At that moment, there was a solid knock at the door. All eyes locked on the library's entrance expectantly.

"Spike, will you get that?" Twilight asked, absentmindly mussing with her mane.

"Sure, leave everything to the dragonling assistant," he grumbled good-naturedly.

The door was opened and a Pegasus stepped in. As one four sets of eyes widened and one jaw even dropped, while Spike, Rarity and Twilight regarded the unexpected visitor with mild confusion. Then Rainbow Dash broke the silence.

"Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh!" she chanted,"Captain Spitfire! What're you doing here?"

"I'm here to speak with Twilight Sparkle," Spitfire answered, fighting her rising temper.

"What?!" Dash exclaimed, wheeling on her unicorn friend,"Since when has Spitfire known you by name Twi'?"

"Only since today Miss.. Rainbow Dash isn't it? We have a mutual friend, which is what I'm here to speak to Miss Sparkle about. I take it you are Twilight Sparkle?" Spitfire asked, gesturing to a rather confused Twilight.

"Yes, I am Twilight Sparkle,"

"Good. Now Miss Twilight, do you have anywhere you and I can speak privately?"

"Um, yes I do. The sitting room should be private enough," Twilight gestured to an out of the way door. '_She said she's here about a mutual friend of ours, but the only pony I know we both know is... Soarin'. Oh no, what if he did get hurt!_' Before her panicked thoughts could take full hold, the door snapped shut behind her. "Alright Captain Spitfire, we're in private. What about Soarin' did you want to speak to me about?"

"How you broke my best friend's heart," Spitfire growled.

"W-what?" Twilight stammered,"What are you talking about?" '_Broke Soarin's heart? I didn't break his heart. Or did I? Did I do so retching wrong last night?_'

"You know bucking well what I'm talking about!" Spitfire snapped. She sighed,"Look, Soarin' is like a brother to me. The only reason I'm not kicking your flank to Cloudsdarig right now is because he made me promise I'd only give you a stern talking to.

"Now, I've always told Soarin' that being a Wonderbolt means that he could get any mare he wants in two shakes of his mane. Every time I say that, his response is always, 'I don't want to be with just any mare, Spits. I want to be with a special mare.' He's a real romantic that way. So this morning, when he told me he'd finally found a marefriend, I was thrilled to no end. I've never seen him that happy before. Then, next time I see him, the poor stallion is crying his eyes out because his special mare is embarrassed that he has wings rather than a horn. You have any idea how much that hurt him?"

"What? I never said I was-" Twilight started to object.'_Why would Soarin' think that I'm asJames to date him?_' Spitfire cut the Unicorn off before she could finish.

"Of course you never said anything," Spitfire groused, "You snooty Canterlot types make me sick. You think because of your money or fancy titles you can treat ponies any way you want with no consequences."

"But, I'm not embarrassed by Soarin's wings. Honest," said Twilight,"His wings are part of who he is, and I like who he is."

"Then what did you mean when you said,'I would never date anypony like that'?" Soarin' asked, stepping into the room. Through the doorway behind him, Twilight could see her frienda and the myriad of expressions on their faces. Applejack and Rainbow Dash had mouths agape. Fluttershy had wide eyes, while Pinkie looked set to explode. Rarity however, looked greatly ashamed with herself and Spike just looked on in interest. Twilight ignored her friend's rereactions in favor of comforting her distraught coltfriend.

"S-soarin', I really do like you. You certainly don't embarrass me," she said, wrapping Soarin' in a deep embrace. She pulled back and looked the stallion straight in the eyes."What you heard me saying was a promise to Rarity to never date anypony like Blueblood."

"Blueblood? As in egotistic jerk 'Prince' Blueblood?" Spitfire asked.

Uh huh, that's him," Twilight giggled,"Rarity advised me that I should never date anypony as arrogant and self-absorbed as him. You, Soarin', are nothing like him, you're kind, friendly and a real gentlecolt. Which is part of why I like you so much."

"So that means you...that I...I-I just accused you of..." Soarin' stammered.'_Great going genius._' he berated,'_You jumped to conclusions over an out of context sentence. Faust! I always screw things up._' Soarin' pulled out of Twilight's embrace and despondently turned away. '_Twilight deserves somepony better than me._'

"Soarin' please, don't go. I do care about you," Twilight pleaded. There were unshed tears in the mare's eyes as she tried to recapture the stallion in a hug.

"Why should I stay?" Soarin' asked,"You deserve better than me." Before he could take another step, a strange tingling sensation washed over him and his vision tinted dark pink. he found himself being turned around bodily and levitated into Twilight's waiting embrace. She hugged the stallion tightly, not daring to let go.

"Even if I deserve better, you're the stallion I want to be with. Please Soarin', don't leave." Twilight whispered.

"Twilight, I'm so sorry for jumping to conclusions and accusing you like that. Can you forgive me?"

"Of course I'll forgive you. It was all just a big misunderstanding anyway," Twilight smiled, nuzzling the stallion.

"Even if it was, I'm gonna make it up to you by making sure that you have the best night ever at the gala next week." He declared, reciprocating Twilight's nuzzling. A chorus of 'd'awwws' came from the other mares; Spike pantomimed gagging. Twiliant and Soarin' disentangled from each other and stood to face their friends.

"Well girls," grinned Twilight,"I'm sure you've figured now, but to make it official: I'd like you to meet my coltfriend, Soarin' Skies."

"This calls for a party!" Pinkie cheered. She placed her hooves on a large blue cannon that was suddenly just there, but before she could pull the trigger a blue aura of magic stopped her.

"Pinkie dear," Rarity began,"While this is indeed time for celebration, first I do believe the five-er, six of us need to have a little chat with this fine gentlecolt." She, Spike and the other Elements, minus Twilight, started to herd the now apprehensive stallion towards the kitchen.

"So just a - just what will this 'little chat' be about?" Soarin' asked.

"Oh nothing of much importance darling," Rarity waved a hoof dismissively,"Only what might happen to you if you ever hurt our dear friend."

Soarin' gulped. "Spits, a little help?" He squeaked.

"Sorry lover boy," Spitfire laughed,"You're on your own for this one."

The Pegasus stallion gulped one more time before the kitchen door was shut, blocking the six ponies and one dragonling from sight.

"Miss Sparkle, I'd like to apologize for treating you like I did earlier. Soarin' does jump to conclusions sometimes, I really should have gotten your side of the story instead of just tearing into you like that."

"It's fine Captain, you were just looking out for Soarin'. I'm sure I'd do the same if I were in your horseshoes. And please, I'm going to be dating your best friend, so call me Twilight."

"Sure thing, as long as you call me Spitfire," the Pegasus mare grinned,"Hey, be careful with Soarin' would ya. He's a sweet guy, but he's been through a lot and despite how he acts in public, he tends to wear his heart on his foreleg."

"Of course Spitfire. I'd never try to hurt him on purpose. I wouldn't want to face your terrible wrath if I did," Twilight giggled.

Spitfire smirked. "Ya know, he was definitely right about you."

"Right about me how?"

"This morning he said you were an amazing mare. He's certainly right about that."

Twilight blushed at the compliment."Thank you, Spitfire. That's really nice of you to say." There was a moment of silence before Twilight spoke again."Since you're already here, would you like to join the rest of us for lunch? We'll have more than enough food."

"Ah, sure I'll stay. It'll be nice to get to know you and your friends. After all, how many ponies outside of Ponyville can say they know the Elements of Harmony personally?" For a while all was silent in the library before Spitfire spoke again. "So Twilight, why don't you tell me about yourself while we're waiting?"

"Uh, alright. Well, my parents are Twilight Velvet and Night Light..."

* * *

><p>"...and that is what will happen should you ever hurt Twilight on purpose in any way." Rarity concluded,"Any questions?"<p>

Soarin' gulped again, the 20th or so time he had since this little speech had begun.'_Note to self; never ever get on the bad side of any of these mares, or dragon._' "No ma'am," he answered stiffly.

"Excellent!" Rarity beamed,"A pleasure to see we're all on the same page as it were. Pinkie dear, now you may begin the celebrations."

"Finally! Let's get this party started!" The pink mare was off like a shot. Startled dries were heard from both Twilight and Spitfire as the party cannon was fired without warning. The others filed out of the kitchen, all grins and smiles. Soarin' began to follow, when Rarity stopped to turn and face him. The door swung shut behind Fluttershy, leavInge the Unicorn and Pegasus alone.

Rarity scuffed a hoof nervously. "Darling, I want to apologize for the trouble I've caused you,"

"Trouble? What trouble?"

"What happened today was all because I asked Twilight about what had happened to her last night,"

"Miss Rarity, there's no need to apologize. I was the one at fault, I eavesdropped on your conversation and misconstrued what I'd heard. It's nopony's fault but mine."

"You say that, but it doesn't make feel any less guilty darling. It would make me feel better if I did something to make it up to you. You don't mind do you?"

"Not at all Miss Rarity," Soarin' smiled.

"Oh, thank you so very much," Rarity beamed,"Now come, it's rude to keep the others waiting."

The two ponies trotted out to join in the festivities.

* * *

><p>Twilight and Soarin' sat together on the library's balcony, enjoying a dinner of leftovers together. Their friends had left shortly after Pinkie's had ended, leaving the two lovebirds alone for the afternoon. Soarin' grinned as Twilight snuggled closer to him.<p>

"It's been an interesting day hasn't it?"

"Oh, definitely," Twilight giggled,"You know, I never thought I would be Applejack who had a crush on you. I was sure it'd be Rainbow, since she's such a fan of you guys." '_Thank Celestia she was so supportive of me dating one of her idols. I was certain she'd be upset with me._'

"Well as fine a mare as Applejack is, she's out of luck. 'Cause I'm all yours," the stallion grinned cheekily.

"And I wouldn't have it any other way," Twilight agreed.

The two fell into a comfortable silence as they focused on finishing the food before them. It wasn't until after desert that they started chatting again. As the pair watched the sun set and the moon begin to rise, Twilight decided that it was as good a time as any to bring up the issue she'd been thinking about all day.

"Hey Soarin',"

"Yeah Twi,?" His emerald green eyes met with her sparkling violet ones.

"We've really moved along kinda fast with our relationship and I was wondering if we could -um, well..."

"If we could take things a bit slower?" Soarin' finished kindly.

"Exactly," Twilight confirmed,"We really like each other, and I'd hate to ruin our relationship by speeding through things."

"Yeah, I had the same thought this morning," said Soarin',"I want to make this work too. So for now, how about we have two dates a month? You pick the activity for one and I pick the activity for the other. Then we can take things from there."

"Works for me," Twilight agreed,"I can easily schedule two nights a month for dates. So who gets the first date?"

"You can pick first if want to,"

"That's sweet of you."

"Anything for my marefriend," he smiled.

For the next hour or so, Pegasus and Unicorn just sat together under the canopy of the stars. When they headed the clock chime out ten times, Soarin' decided to say his goodbyes.

"Well Twi, as much as I'd rather not, I better get going. Don't want to be asleep on my hooves tomorrow." the blue stallion stood and stretched,"I had a really great time getting to know your friends. They're really fine mares."

"They'll be glad to hear that," Twilight smiled,"When you get back to Cloudsdale, tell Spitfire she's free to drop by anytime. And of course, so are you."

Soarin' mock saluted with a wing. "Will do ma'am," he grinned,"G'night Twilight,"

"Goodnight Soarin', see you soon,"

There was a rush of air as Soarin' to flight and then all was still again. After a minute of watching her coltfriend, Twilight trotted back inside Spike back from Rarity's and asleep already, bits of frosting still around his mouth.

"Oh Spike," she giggled. Sliding into her own bed, she smiled as she thought of how great going to the gala with Soarin' would be. Slowly, the realm of sleep drew the mare in bringing her under Luna's watchful eye in the land of dreams.


	4. Unexpected Love Chapter 4

Unexpected Love Ch. 4

Princess Celestia took a sip of her tea as her bleary-eyed niece trudged sleepily into the room from the Royal Suites.

"Good morning Cadence," she greeted from her spot at the breakfast table, "Is Shining Armor not going to be joining us this morning?"

Cadence yawned widely as she unceremoniously sat herself down at the table. "Good morning to you too Auntie. No, Shiny won't be able to join us I'm afraid. He's busy preparing for the wave of Guard promotions that our wedding sparked. Speaking of absent ponies, where's Auntie Luna?" As she spoke, her magic loaded up a plate of fruits and flowers from the veritable buffet on the table. A pair of blueberry scones drizzled in white chocolate caught the eye of the Princess of Love and found themselves joined to her otherwise healthy breakfast.

"You just missed her. The poor dear has been so busy overseeing preparations for the Winter Solstice Gala that she rarely stays up past sunrise these last few days. If it were not such a good idea, I'd almost regret ever suggesting it to her." Celestia smiled, shaking her head at the memory of how adamant Luna had been about overseeing the Gala preparations herself. She took a sip of her tea before speaking again. "So tell me, my dear niece, just how long have you and little Lulu been playing matchmaker for Twilight?"

"I've wanted to set Twily up with a coltfriend for a long time now. I mentioned that in passing to Auntie Luna the other day and she offered to help. She said she's wanted to do something for the mare that helped her reconnect with her subjects.

"And where does 'borrowing' my royal seal fit in to all this?" Celestia asked, "Tea?"

"Yes please," Cadence nodded. She offered Celestia an empty cup to fill. "What blend is it this time?"

"A Maresachusetts breakfast blend," The masterfully brewed liquid flowed from kettle to cup with a grace brought about by centuries of practice.

Cadence took a sip from her cup, sighing blissfully at the soothing warmth the tea diffused into her. "Delicious," she declared. "But anyway, the reason we needed your seals is because, they already have the enchantments necessary to send letters to Spike. Otherwise, we could do everything ourselves. Namely, adding a latent love enchantment in both, the letter sent to Twilight and the summons sent to Soarin'.

Celestia regarded her beloved niece carefully, though her expression never changed. Cadence could sometimes get carried away when trying to pair ponies romantically. She hoped this wasn't the case with Twilight. "Just what kind of love enchantment did you use Cadence? I know you have several at your disposal."

"Auntie, I promise you I'd never force Twily into a relationship. The spell I used was a variant of the spell I used to remind two ponies about how they really feel towards each other. It will merely accelerate bringing the two together. Given time and opportunity, they would've started dating on their own. Luna and I did nothing more than get things started."

Inwardly, Celestia gave a sigh of relief. "Well then, I look forward to meeting them as a couple. Though I am curious, how did…"

The Solar Princess was interrupted when a Unicorn guard stepped into the room. He bowed to both princesses before speaking.

"Good morning Princesses. I apologize for the interruption, but Flight Commander Soarin' of the Wonderbolts Squadron is requesting an early audience with you. I suggested he wait until Day Court, but he said he couldn't wait because he would be late for work otherwise."

"He may be admitted right away," Celestia declared. The guard nodded, returning the way he'd come in. A moment later Soarin' came through.

"Princess, -es, thank you for seeing me this morning," Soarin' greeted, bowing before the two Alicorn mares.

"Soarin' please," Celestia chided, "We are in private, and there is no need for you to address me by my title. And you most certainly needn't bow to me."

"Agreed," Cadence chimed.

"If you say so Celestia," Soarin' acquiesced.

"Now then, My Little Pony, what can I do for you?" Celestia asked. Soarin' pawed nervously at the rug beneath his hooves before speaking.

"Well uh, I don't like really like asking for this kind of thing… but I need some help getting reservations for dinner at The Sun and Moon the night of the Winter Gala."

"May I assume this is for you and Twilight?"

A surprised look crossed Soarin's face for a moment. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Oh, uh. I guess Twilight already told you about us, but yeah, I was planning on taking Twilight to dinner there after the Gala. It's the fanciest restaurant in Canterlot and I want to make sure Twilight's night is perfect."

"I can help with that," Cadence interjected, "Shiny and I have reservations there the night of the Gala as well. I'm sure it wouldn't be any trouble for us to get two more reservations. That is, if you don't mind eating with us."

" Of course not, Prin- err, Cadence. Twilight told me about how close she is to you and Shining Armor. I'd be glad to get a chance to meet him. And get to know him, and you, better."

"Wonderful!" Cadence smiled, clapping her hooves. She looked seriously at Soarin', "Just be warned, part of the reason Shiny and Twilight are so close is be he protected her from bullies before I began foalsitting her. So he might be a little hostile towards you at first, since you're Twilight's first coltfriend. But don't worry, he should warm up to you pretty quickly."

"Thanks for all your help Cadence. Being able to make Twilight happy means a lot to me. And thank you Celestia for seeing me this early."

"Do you have to go so soon Soarin'?" Celestia asked. She almost seemed sad; "I'd love it if you could say for breakfast."

Soarin's mouth watered as he took stock of the breakfast banquet on the Princesses' table. He shook off his stupor, sparing one last longing look at the plate of apple turnovers.

"Sorry, Celestia, as much as I would love to spend time with you too, I've got a full day ahead of me. Weather Factory has asked me to help 'oversee' preparations for winter by helping make and deliver the shipments of snow clouds for Canterlot and the surrounding towns. It takes a while, so I'll need to leave here in a moment." He cracked a small smile; "At least I'm not also on the 'Bolts' winter roster. That'd be more work than anypony could handle." The stallion turned to take his leave, when Celestia spoke.

'Soarin' wait. I'm disappointed that you couldn't stay to chat, but I understand. My feelings aside, I'm glad that you and Twilight found each other. Both of you are amazing ponies and I wish you both happiness in your relationship. Have a good day Soarin' and I'll see you at the Gala."

Soarin' saluted both Princesses, and then soared out of one of the room's open windows. Celestia watched him go, until even her keen Alicorn eyesight could no longer see him. "My son," she whispered quietly. With a sigh, she turned back to enjoy breakfast with her niece. To her surprise, Cadence had taken, and was happily munching her way through the massive bowl of cubed fruit that had been served. The Sun Goddess merely cocked an eyebrow.

"What?" Cadence asked defensively, "I'm hungry."

Xx0xX

Soarin' sucked in another lungful of crisp fall air. He was on course for Cloudsdale and thinking over what he was doing for Weather Factory today.

'_Let's see, well like I told Princess Celestia, since I'm not currently on 'Bolts duty, the WF seems to think I don't get out enough as it is and have asked me to personally oversee the production and delivery of the snow clouds for Canterlot's, Canter Ridge's and Ponyville's first snows of the season. Wait a second, Ponyville? Well that's a real coincidence. Ah well, I'm not going to complain. Gives me a chance of seeing Twilight. At the very least, I can send her my greetings through Rainbow Dash.' _He chuckled to himself, imagining the reaction of Dash to his appearance.

Cloudsdale appeared on the horizon and Soarin' grinned. There was nothing but sky between him and the Pegasus citadel, so he could cut loose and go all out. After all, his special skill was high speed, long distance flight. He put all his power into a wingbeat and rocketed forward. He'd be arriving in Cloudsdale very soon.

Xx0xX

Soarin' sniffed heartily as he strode into the Weather Factory. There was nothing quite like the smell of weather under production. Soarin' smiled wistfully as he fondly recalled the days before he had been a famed celebrity, interning here as he trained to audition for the Wonderbolts. Breaking from his reverie, Soarin' headed down to the main production hall to 'oversee' the formation of this shipment of snow clouds.

The production hall was a flurry of activity as teams of Pegasi moved about, busy forming all the weather for the next few weeks. Soarin' flitted over to the young mare behind the scheduling counter.

"Excuse me miss," he started, "I'm looking for Cloud Team 27. Do you mind telling me where they are right now?"

The clerk mare, a bored young intern, sighed as she pulled away from her magazine. "Just a moment sir. Let me check the schedules," she monotone, not bothering to look up at whoever was speaking to her. "Here you are sir, the schedule for…"

The filly trailed off as she finally got a look at just who was standing at the counter. She gaped for a moment, before squealing like an excited schoolfilly.

"Oh my gosh! You're Soarin' Skies!"

Soarin' smiled, "The one and only,"

The filly offered Soarin' her magazine, a bright blush on her sky blue cheeks. "Can I have your autograph?" she squeaked.

Soarin' pulled a pen from his bomber jacket. "Sure thing, miss…"

"Oh, uh, I'm Clear Weather," the girl stammered.

With a practiced hoof, Soarin' scribbled his standard poster signature.

'_To my fan Clear Weather. Always dream big. Soarin' Skies.'_

"There you are Miss Weather," Soarin' passed the magazine back to the giddy teen. He swept up the schedule she'd dropped on the counter and headed off.

Xx0xX

Cloud Production Team 27 was a well-organized and efficient unit. Having a famed Wonderbolt like Soarin' working alongside them certainly didn't hurt that. It'd been a little chaotic when he'd first shown up as several Pegasi clamored for his autograph. Things had quickly worked themselves out though, and they'd all gotten to work.

Soarin' smiled at all the memories working with C.P.T. 27 brought back. Playing with clouds and all their malleability has long been a hobby for the stallion. Cloud sculpting was something he often did as a way of both relaxing and keeping his mind sharp. Time with the C.P. team flew past and Soarin' found himself meeting with the delivery team.

Like the Cloud Team before them, several delivery ponies were rather eager for autographs. When those were doled out, Soarin' lead the team to their destinations. First, to Canter Ridge, which sat at the base of the Canterhorn's eastern side, Canterlot itself, and finally Ponyville. At every stop, the local weather ponies had understandably asked for Soarin's autograph. He was happy to oblige them.

On the short flight from Canterlot to Ponyville, he let his thoughts wander to his new marefriend. ' _I Hope I get to see Twilight,'_ he singsonged to himself.

As he and the delivery ponies neared the center of Ponyville, a group Pegasi hovering over what was obviously the town's Town Hall, caught their attention. Soarin' grinned when he spotted a prismatic mane at he center of the Ponyville Pegasi. He slipped into the group, holding a hoof to his lips to keep the ponies from gasping in shock. He smirked when he was right behind an oblivious Rainbow Dash.

"Hey Rainbow!" he called. Dash jerked and spun around quickly. Her eyes widen comically as she recognized the stallion, and squealed like a fanfilly.

"Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh! Soarin' Skies in Ponyville! Twice!" Soarin' just chuckled.

"You should probably get used to seeing me around Rainbow Dash. After all, I am dating one of your best friends." Soarin' knew that he'd just ponies fuel for all kinds of gossip, but he forged on. "Anyway, I'm here to deliver some snow clouds." He signaled to the Cloudsdale team to begin hoofing over the clouds in their possession to the Ponyville team.

One of the Cloudsdale Pegasi, a white stallion with a green and blue mane, broke off from the rest to hover beside Soarin'. The stallion pulled a clipboard from his saddlebags, passing it to Soarin'.

"Thank you Trade Winds," said Soarin' gratefully.

"Quite welcome sir,' was Trotingham accented reply. Soarin' gave the board to Rainbow Dash, so she could sign for the transfer of the clouds. After filling out the forms with practiced ease and returning the master copy to Trade Winds, Dash turned to her team.

"Alright team, we've gotta take care of these clouds and we gotta do it right. That means I want 110% from everypony. Thunderlane." The black Pegasus frowned, but said nothing, joining the rest of Ponyville's weather team in taking the clouds back to the weather station.

Their job done for today, the Cloudsdale Pegasi began heading home, except for Soarin' who stayed behind, watching as Rainbow and her team carted away the clouds. A familiar voice broke him from his trance and grabbed his attention. He looked beneath himself to see Twilight waving at him. He glided down to greet her.

"Heya Twilight," he smiled, "That's a nice scarf you're wearing."

Twilight glanced at the blue, woolen garment around her neck. "Thanks," she beamed, "Rarity made it for me. Anyway, what brings you back to Ponyville? I didn't think you'd be back until the Gala. Not that I'm complaining or anything."

Soarin' chuckled. "Well neither am I, even if I'm only delivering clouds for Weather Factory," A chill breeze blew through, Soarin', a Cloudsdale native, was unaffected, but he noticed Twilight shiver a bit. "You okay Twilight? You look kind of cold,"

"I – I'll be fine," Twilight said, rather unconvincingly.

As an afterthought she added, "I've got my scarf." Unfortunately, evening was approaching bringing with temperatures that needed more apparel than just a scarf.

"No offense to Rarity, but I've got something that'll work better than just a scarf." He moved alongside Twilight and draped a wing over her back, gently pulling her closer. "How's that?" he asked. The blissful expression on her face told Soarin' all he needed to know.

"Mm mm, much better," Twilight murmured. Her eyes snapped open suddenly. "Weren't we going to take things slowly though?"

"Do you want me to stop?" Soarin' asked with concern. He started to lift his wing.

"No!" Twilight yelped. She giggled nervously, "What I mean is, you can keep your wing there," She thought about making some excuse about needing to measure her level of warmth with and without his wing. Instead, she chose to just stand and enjoy her coltfriend's body heat. She rested her head against Soarin's neck, careful not to poke him with her horn. There was a blush on the cheeks of both as the lost themselves in each other.

"Oh come on, you two!" a young voice shouted. Twilight and Soarin' jumped in surprise. Behind them, they found a thoroughly bundled up Spike fake gagging. "I know you guys are dating and all, but do you have to be so affectionate in public?"

'Soarin' was just trying to keep me warm," Twilight defended.

"Yeah sure, egghead," said a grinning Rainbow Dash as she dropped in on the trio. "Another minute and you two would've been lockin' lips."

While Twilight pawed embarrassedly at the cobblestones underhoof, Soarin' glared playfully at the other Pegasus. "Don't you have clouds to put away Miss Dash?"

"Nah. Already taken care of. See?"

Soarin' and Twilight looked up to see that were indeed cleared away from Town Hall. There was still something up there though, and whatever it was it was getting closer. Soon it was close enough to be identified as a Pegasus. In another minute, the Pegasus landed among the four.

He was a chocolate brown stallion with a black and gold mane. His Cutie Mark was that of a winged box. Soarin' recognized him instantly.

"Swift Delivery? What are you doing here?"

"Captain Spitfire sent me sir. She has orders that you are to return to HQ for a debrief and prep,"

"Did she say what kind of prep?"

"Afraid not sir,"

"Alrighty then," said Soarin'. He turned to Twilight. "Guess I have to get going. See you when we go to the Gala," He blushed as Twilight nuzzled him.

"See you then," She smiled. Soarin' saluted both her and Rainbow Dash before taking off after Swift Delivery.

Only a few minutes out of Ponyville Soarin' saw a flash of yellow out of the corner of his eye. He spared a glance over and was utterly surprised to see Spitfire flying at his side.

"Huh, Bwuh?" he managed. Spitfire laughed as her wingpony recovered from his shock. "Spits? What are you doing out here? I thought you were going to meet me at HQ."

"I decided to follow Swift here," the yellow said with a shrug.

"O… kay. So what's this prep you wanted me for anyway?" Soarin' found himself feeling rather nervous when he saw Spitfire's Cheshire grin.

"It's gala preparation! If you're gonna be taking your marefriend to that gala, you gotta know how to court her. So for the rest of the week, you and I gonna be going over everything you need to know, _very thoroughly. _And don't even think about trying to get away, 'cause you're direct orders." Spitfire's grinned widened as she watched the look of utter shock on her partner's face.

Silently, Soarin' followed behind his Captain on their return flight to Cloudsdale. One thing he knew though, was that it was going to be a long and embarrassing week.


End file.
